Terriers picked to finish 2nd by writers, 5th by coaches

Just about the only thing voters agreed upon was that Georgia Southern is the favorite to finish first in the Southern Conference football standings. And even that was far from unanimous.

By TODD SHANESYtodd.shanesy@shj.com

Just about the only thing voters agreed upon was that Georgia Southern is the favorite to finish first in the Southern Conference football standings.And even that was far from unanimous.Georgia Southern received six of the nine coaches' votes for No. 1 and 15 of 28 votes from members of the media in preseason polls released Wednesday at the SoCon media day held at the Spartanburg Marriott. Wofford, which shared the league championship last season with GSU and Appalachian State, was picked second by writers and broadcasters but fifth by coaches. On that list, the Terriers were below not only GSU and ASU, but also Chattanooga (with a first-place vote) and Samford."That doesn't hurt my feelings," Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said. "We've been picked worse and won the championship. It's not today that matters. It's down the road."The media's poll was scattered, with five different teams receiving first-place votes. Appalachian State got six, Wofford four, Chattanooga two and Furman, tabbed for seventh on both lists, was the choice by one media member to finish at the top."We're focused on being the best football team that steps on the field every Saturday," said Wofford senior center Jared Singleton, who was named first-team all-conference. "When you have that mindset, the rankings really don't matter. All that stuff goes out the window."The wide range for predictions for Wofford (9-4, 6-2 last season) is likely because of the graduation of fullback Eric Breitenstein, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season and was named Southern Conference player of the year. Wofford has lost no more than two league games every year but one since 2005. The Terriers were 2-6 in 2009, when Breitenstein when down early with a season-ending knee injury. He will be replaced by senior Donovan Johnson, who ran for 967 yards and nine touchdowns in 2011."There's going to be a next guy," Ayers said. "Will he bring the numbers that Eric did? I don't know. But if our offensive line does what it is supposed to do, Donovan will have a chance to be very successful. … We're going to plan our offense on the total talent versus just one position."Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, making the transition to the Sun Belt of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, are ineligible for postseason because they have increased their number of scholarships to meet FBS requirements. Neither would be officially recognized as Southern Conference champion."There's nothing we can do about that," Georgia Southern head coach Jeff Monken said. "What we can do is be the best and win every game. When you win every game in the league, you're the conference champion. Whoever else recognizes that is of no concern to me. If we go 8-0, I know we're the Southern Conference champions."Georgia Southern is 18-6 in Southern Conference play during the past three seasons under Monken. Appalachian State, with Scott Satterfield as the new head coach replacing legendary Jerry Moore, is 35-5 in the past five SoCon slates. Chattanooga finished a game behind the tri-champions and lost twice in overtime, one of those being triple OT against Georgia Southern. Samford is getting the most respect since joining the league in 2008. The Citadel beat both GSU and ASU, and is expected to be better."I don't think there is a clear-cut team as far as having the best talent," Ayers said. "There are great players sprinkled throughout and great coaches as well."Elon, which is leaving for the Colonial Athletic Association, is eligible for a championship and postseason play, although poll voters believe that is unlikely, picking the team to finish eighth. Replacing those three schools will be Mercer and VMI in 2014, and East Tennessee State in 2016.In addition, non-football schools College of Charleston and Davidson are out as well. Charleston has gone to the CAA and Davidson will leave after this school calendar year for the Atlantic 10."The word I think I've used more than any other is awkward," Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino said. "That doesn't mean it's unworkable. It doesn't mean it's detrimental to what we're trying to accomplish. … It's been a little bit of a challenge. But I think we've come out of it as well as can be expected."Iamarino said he still expects the Southern Conference to be a two- or three-bid league for the playoffs, even if Georgia Southern and Appalachian State were to finish on top."With App and Georgia Southern ineligible, that creates two spots that have almost always been in the playoffs," he said. "I really believe we will have multiple teams in the tournament. I think it will make for a very exciting season because programs like The Citadel and Chattanooga and Samford now see a shot."

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